A View of the Romish Hydra, Sermon 6
1. SAM. 26.
9 And Dauid ſaid to Abiſhai, Deſtroy him not: for who can laie his hande on the Lords annointed, and bee guitleſſe?
10 Moreouer Dauid ſaid, As the Lorde liueth, either the Lord ſhal ſmite him, or his day ſhal come to dy, or he ſhal deſcend into battle, and periſh. &c.
THE SIXT SERMON.
THE queſtiō between Abiſhai and Dauid hath been diſputed & diſcuſſed, and laſtly out of the laws, acts and monumentes of England, and determined by the allegations and premiſſes before, that it is a true concluſion, that no ſuch thing can be iuſtified, that al ſuch rebellions and trayterous enterpriſes are forbidden and puniſhed.
I muſt now goe forward, and firſt make an end of this firſt part, & ſo proceed to the ſecond part, the Proteſtation of Dauid for himſelf. I ſhould make a diſcourſe of other countries, but becauſe it hath been by the way touched already, and may be hereafter incidently glaunced vponupon: I wil cut it off in theſe few woords. In Fraunce I read this ſame matter fitly declaring our Tert,Chriſtian. Maſſaeus lib. 20. Ann. 1510. and much tending to this our purpoſe, wel debated by king Lewes: who vnderſtanding that Pope Iulius the ſecond, now ioyned with the Venetians, did attempt ſomewhat againſt himſelfe and his ſubiectes: in a Councell at Towers propoſed theſe two queſtions: the firſt, whether it were lawful for the Pope to raiſe warre againſt any Prince without cauſe?Queſtions propoſed in Fraunce. The ſecond, whether any ſuch Prince in defenſe of himſelfe and his Realme may inuade the firſt-onſetter, and withdrawe himſelfe frō his obedience? The anſwere was, that it was vnlawful for the Biſhop, but lawful for the Prince to do that which was in queſtion, & that the cōſtitution called pragmatical ſhould be obſerued throughout all France, not regarding the lightening, or thundring of any ſuch vniuſt cenſures, if any ſhould be. This determinatiō of France might be a reſolutiō for thē & for vsus,Examples. to make no more of the Pope than he dooth of vsus, eſpecially if hee vnlawfully vſe his autority.Sleidan. lib. 1. Hiſtor. In Flaunders I might ſhew like exāples: as namely, of Iames Arteuillanus, for ye like practiſe againſt his cuntry put to death by the Citiſens of Gaunt, as it is in Froſſard: & alſo out of Iacob Meier his Chronicle,Lib. …6. Au…talium. Flandri…. who telleth of many ſeditious men vpō the ſcaffold beheadded, and of Lewes Wallan cōdemned, and of Gertrude his wife, whoſe iudgement was to looſe her head with her husband, and to bee buried in the middeſt of the market place, with this inſcription, A monument of Gertrude wife to Lewes Wallan, a peſtilent woman, who by her fraude and deceite hath brought a noble Prince to great danger, & the Citty of Burges, into extreme calamity. Although the rigour of this ſentence was afterward mitigated by earneſt interceſſion of ſome honourable Ladies and principal perſonages. The ſame author maketh mention of one Arteualda a poore mans ſonne, who proſpering and preuailing by his rebellion,Iac. Ma…ter. Annal Fla. Lib. 13. tooke vponupon him luſtily and loftily the perſon of an Earle in his golde, and ſiluer, his wines, and his garments, aſcribing his victory not to God but to himſelfe, and was ſo blinded, and puffed vp with pride, that he doubted not confidently to brag that he would be Lord of Fraunce: becauſe (ſaith hee) the French-men durſt not encounter with the Engliſh-men running ouer al Fraunce: yet for al theſe brags he was ſlaine among his owne ſouldiours in the conflict at Roſebeck. It is a good Morall that is there added, Quem Deus punire decreuit, intellectum illi aufert. Whom God mindeth to puniſh, him he bereaueth of his wits.
I hauehave one Lawe behind,The lawe or teſtimony of our conſcience. Rom. 2. Quintil. Orat. inſtitution. l. 5. & that is the griping and gnawing Law of the Conſcience: The Law written in our harts inwardly accuſing vsus, and bearing witneſſe againſt vsus, which is in ſteed of a thouſād witneſſes: which alone will perſecute vsus, & ſeeke reuengement, though al the Lawes rehearſed before ſhould ſleepe and pronounce nothing againſt vsus. Such is the Conſcience and cuſtom of ſuch offenders (ſaith Chryſoſtome: Chryſoſt. Hom. 8. ad pop. Antioc.) they ſuſpect all thinges, they quake at ſhadowes, they feare eueryevery blaſt, and noiſe, they thinke al things come againſt them. And againe, Such a ſinner hath within him an accuſer pleading alwaies againſt him, and this hee carieth eueryevery where, with this hee is ſcourged whither ſoeuer he goeth, as the Scripture teſtifieth, that the wicked man flieth when no man purſueth. Prouer. 28As we may ſee in the Prouerbes, and in Iob, Iob. 15. Leuit. 26. Pro Roſcio Amerino.and in the booke of Leuiticus. Which vexation Tully painteth out of the Poets, and termeth it a continual & domeſticall fury hauing whot burning torches; calling night and day for reuengement againſt ſuch Parricides, and murderers.Cap. 66. It is the worme in Eſai, that ſhall neuer dy. The woorme that ſodenly ſmote the gourd of Ionas, wherewith ſtraitwaies it withered, as Theophylact in theſe words expoū deth it not abſurdly. This Conſcience, Ion. cap. 4.ſaith he vponupon that place, is the worme that maketh vsus alwaies hauehave a feeling and ſenſe of our ſins: This is that ſenſible moth of our bones and our hearts, ſetting before vsus our wickednes. Theoph. in 4. cap. Ion….And whereas Scripture ſetteth downe certaine ſinnes that are called, Peccata clamantia, which wee may reade in Geneſis and in Exodus, Cap. 18. Cap. 2. Cap. 5. Gen. 4.and in Saint Iames, and otherwhere: The chiefe and moſt Crying ſinne is murder. The voice of thy brothers blood cryeth vntounto mee out of the earth. For as a good conſcience is the beſt companion and comforter vntounto vsus, as it is written:Prouer. 15. A mery mind is a continual banquet, and as our Dauid did marueilouſly reioice in himſelfe that hee did not ſlay Saul: Euen ſo contrariwiſe,2. Sam. 15. they muſt needes hauehave an heauy hart, a corroſiue, and an eating canker of an euill conſcience ſtill vpbraiding them with this heynous and deteſtable act:
Nocte die que ſuum geſtant in pectore teſtem.
They cary a witnes againſt them, and ſhal hauehave no reſt night nor day. Tertullian ſaith: Omne malum aut timore aut pudore natura perfundit. Deni que malefici geſtiunt latere, Ter. in … polog.deuitant apparere, trepidant deprehenſi. Sinne hath two companions & followers, either fear or ſhame: feare teacheth them to hide themſelues, they ſhunne to bee ſeene, and beeing taken, they quake and tremble. Shame maketh them bluſh.
Heu quàm difficile eſt, crimen non prodere vultu?
Feare and ſhame make them not onelyonly to ſeeke corners, but to hang themſelues beeing affraid and aſhamed to ſhew their heads in the world. This teſtimony of the conſcience bringeth thē to theſe two incōueniences,The inconueniences of an euill conſcience. to betray their fault, and for ſorowe or deſperatenes to make thēſelues away, & that vponupon eueryevery light occaſion at the ſight of any man or beaſt, at the ſhaking of a leafe, at the voice of any creature. Alexander a tyraunt of the Phereians beholding a tragedy,Plutarch. and bewailing the miſeries of Hecuba and Polyxena, ran out of the ſtage in al haſt, vponupon ſome griefe of mind, and aſhamed any more to be looked vppon, becauſe hee had killed ſo many citizens. Baſſianus the Emperor after he had murdered his brother Geta, Spartianus in Anton. Caracallo.whenſoeuer he did ſee his picture, or heard his name, he wept, and poyſoned Laetus the firſt counſailer of his brothers death, and killed all thoſe that were priuy to it, that there might be none liuing to giuegive any teſtimony, or once to know it. In what an hel was Nero that put to death Peter and Paul? Herode. Euſebius ax Ioſepho. Act. c. 12.And Herod that beheaded Iohn Baptiſt? And Herod Agrippa that murdered Iames, who after great tormentes and horrible pains, the ūſt day died miſerably by the ſtroke of an Angel in a viſible manner appearing to him. In what a pitifull caſe was Theodoricus, Theodo… ▪when he had flame Boetius and Symmachus? the ſight of a great ſiſh brought to his table, and gaping vponupon him, ſtroke ſuch a conceit and impreſſion into him, that hee beleeued verily, that it was the terrible and lowring face of Symmachus threatening him,Procopi…. wherewith he was brought to a ſicknes, and ſo to his end. In what a deſperate caſe was Richard the third the vſurper of the crowne,Rich…. the murderer of two young Princes: Who, after the fact committed, coulde neuer hauehave quiet ſleepe, and thought in the night at Boſwoorth, (where the fielde was fought) in his terrible dreame, that hee ſawe about him as it were the Image of wicked ſpirits, that would not ſuffer him to take any ſleep. Heare I pray you the Commentary of Polydor Virgil. Angl. Hiſ…. lib. 25.I beleeue (ſaith he) it was no dreame, but the conſcience of his wickednes, a conſcience, I ſay, the more heauy, the greater the fault was, the which if neuer at any other time, yet at our laſt day is woont to repreſent vntounto vsus the memory of al our faultes, and ſhew withal the paines that hang ouer vsus. I neede not put you in minde of the lamentable ende of late Traytours, Someruile & others. All theſe felt the remorſe & byting of an euill conſcience, whereby their harts were as the trees of the forreſt moued with the wind, as Achas his hart was:Ieſai. c. 7. to whō the Lord doth giuegive a trē bling hart, and a ſorrowful mind, ſo that they ſhal feare night and day, & ſhall ſay in the morning, Would God it were euening,Deut. 28. and at euening, Would God it were morning. I wil not referre you againe to the cerrible examples of Cain ſaying:Gen. 4. Matth. 27. Whoſoeuer findeth me, wil kil me: nor to the tragical end of Iudas.
I ſignified lately how dogs hauehave betraied murderers,Dogges. and made them to confeſſe their faults of murder:Fiſhes. and euen now, how a fiſh amaſed and daunted a King: and before, howe Salomon telleth the ſame of birds of the Air.Eccle. 10. Plutarchus deſera numinis vindicta. Birds betray murderers. Swallowes. Beſſus killed his father: it was long hidde: at length after ſupper among ſtraungers he was ſo mad, and ſo perſecuted in conſcience, that hearing ſwallowes ſing, he foorthwith with a ſpeare threw downe their neſt, and killed the young ones: & being chiddē for it, he anſwered: Doe yee not hear how theſe birdes defame me, as though I had killed my father? Wherupon he was atterwarde in tudgement found guilty, and ſuffered, Ibycus a Poet fel among theeues: when he ſaw he ſhould bee killed, hee made as it were a certaine praier and obteſtation to the Cranes flying there aboue at that time, to bee witneſſes and reuengers of his death.Cranes. Theſe men afterward ſeeing Cranes, ieaſted among themſelues in the market place, Behold, Jdemde furili InquacitateThe reuengers of Ibycus are come. This ieaſt being ouer-heard, and the Poet wel knowen and found dead, when they were racked vponupon theſe ſuſpitions, they confeſſe al. I hauehave ſeen in Heluetia the like euidence and teſtimony of this conſcience, in a man, who for a little paultry pelfe ſet vpō his fellow-pedler, as I remember, and gaue him many wounds, killed him, buried him deepely in the ground, that no body might ſee him, but the Rauens found him out, they ſly after him and vponupon him,Rauea…. perſecuting him from place to place, from village to village, vntil people rū ning out, and wondring at that ſtraunge accident, enquired earneſtly after it: the fellow perceiuing by no meanes he could driue away the birdes, and guilty in conſcience, and ſtraitly examined, cried out: It is I that killed the man, and ſo being apprehended and impriſoned, as he had mangled the man when he was dead with many ſtrokes, to make him ſure: ſo was hee after condemnation and iudgement broken in many parts of his body, & ſet vponupon the wheele, for birds to pick at him. How true is the ſaying of Iſocrates, Though a man hide it from al men, yet he cannot hide it from himſelfe? And that of Gregory Nazianzene, foreign, The couſcience ſtriketh and beateth the mind.
And thus far hauehave I gone in ye proofe of Dauids reaſon, that no man can be guiltles that laieth his hand vponupon the Lords annointed, but ſhal be condēned by al laws, ſacred prophane, diuine humane, Imperial Pontifical, chriſtiā heathniſh, forreine abroad, poſitiue at home, yea by the conſcience it ſelfe, a ſeuere accuſer, and witnes and iudge of al murders.The concluſion of the forſt part of Dauids ſpeach. In conſideration hereof, although I hope I need not, yet I muſt in few words ſpeake to vsus all ſubiectes, Remember the propoſition of Dauid, Deſtroy not the Prince: Remember the reaſon hereof: For God will not ſuffer any ſuch deſtroier, or open conſpirator & rebel, or priuy murderer, or any other practiſer to ſcape vnpuniſhed, but will by one torment or other reuenge the quarel of his anointed, and this is the concluſion of the firſt part of Dauids reply.
THE ſecond part of Dauids ſpeach, is his PROTESTATION for himſelf in theſe words:Verſ. 10. and 11. Text of the 2. part.
10 Moreouer Dauid ſaide, As the Lord liueth, either the Lord ſhal ſmite him, or his day ſhal come to dy, or he ſhal deſcend into battle, and periſh.
The Lorde keepe mee from laying mine hand vponupon the Lords annointed.
AS Dauid hath forbidden Sauls murder in Abiſhai, ſo he now proteſteth for himſelfe and that with anoth, As the Lord liueth, that he deteſteth the fact, and relieth himſelfe vponupon God: that God ſhal ſtrike this ſtroke, and deſireth God, that he may not be ſo graceles as to lay his hands vpō his annointed. And why: Either the Lord ſhal ſmite him, The ſumma of Dauids Proteſtation.or his daie ſhall come to dye, or hee ſhall deſcend into battle, and periſh. The Argument is this, God wil in his wiſedome appoint his time for the diſpatch & death of Saul: therefore I may not, ne will intermeddle in this action againſt Saul, as though he ſhould in the name and perſon of God thus ſay, If Saul hauehave offended, the iudgement is mine againſt mine annointed. I am, and ſo am called the God of reuengement.Pſal. 94. Rom. 12. Reuengement is mine, I will repay: Ergo, I wil be no reuenger, neither wil I vſurp that office, which pertaineth to God. What neede I, or you Abiſhai, or any other haſtē the death of a Prince, which is ſet downe in the booke of foreknowledge by God himſelfe, and cannot be preuented by any mortal man, or anie wates altered: No fate or deſtiny, no conſtellation, no fortune or chaunce, no cunning of ſtar-tooters or figure-flingers, no conſpiracy of number, no ſtrength of confederates, no counſailes or polices of wiſe men can change the Prognoſtication or Almanacke of God, which is that Saul and we al, Prince & people, Magiſtrate and priuate men, young and old, man and woman, good and bad, all muſt die, but not when we will, nor when friend or foe wil, but as God in his fatal book hath written it downe.
The conſequence and congruity of Dauids Proteſtation thus explaned: I pray you marke theſe notes.
Firſt our mortality generally incident to vsus al high & lowe, which is woorth the noting at al times,1. Note, death common to al. Gen. 3.2. Reg. c. 14 eſpecially in the time of theſe new and ſtraunge diſeaſes aſſaulting vsus. The general ſentence is, that Adam is Adam ſtil, hee came from duſt, and ſhal return to duſt again: that we dy al, and as water ſlide away. Who liueth,Pſal. 88. Hebr. 9.2. Cor. 5. and ſhal not ſee death? It is a ſtatute and decree, that men muſt dy once: We know that our earthly houſe of this tabernacle ſhall be deſtroied. In this declaration our Dauid is very copious, particularly for himſelfe, and generally for vsus all:Pſal. 39. Behold, thou haſt made my daies as a-hand breadth, & mine age is as nothing before thee, Pſal. 102.ſurely eueryevery man is altogether vanity. And again, My daies are like a ſhadowe, and I am whithered like graſſe. What is a ſhadow, but the defect and priuation of light, and then what is the life of man but death? The ſame vanity of man is painted out liuely in the hundred and third Pſalme by comparing vsus to graſſe and to a flower of the field,Eſaie. 40. 1. Pet. 1. as we hauehave alſo in Eſay and Peter, Dauid is not alone mortal as you hauehave heard, but al,
Ortus cuncta ſuos repetunt, matrem que requirūt,
Et redit adnihilum, quod fuit antenihil.
The effect is, that all muſt returne to the Mother from whence they came.In Boeotici…. A figure of this is declared by Pauſanias: Amōg the gifts and oblations of Apollo there was coūterfatted after the imitation and reſemblance of the old works in braſſe one Image, the fleſh was clean gone from the ſkin, ſo that there remained nothing but bones. They ſay that Hippocrates the Phyſition did dedicate this at Delphos: Phaylus captaine of the Phocenſians in his ſleepe dreamed,Hippocrates naked Image. that hee himſelfe was made like vntounto this gift, a naked dead man: and ſo beeing deadly ſicke, ended his life, and prooued his viſion true. So fareth it not only with captaines and Emperours, but with vsus al, who al ſhal be the image of Hippocrates. A bare Anatomy, a ſchelitō or picture of death.
Who then ſhal eſcape? Shal children: No,2. Note, Children and youth mortall. not the babe of one yeare.
Huc puer at que ſenex pariter veniſſe feruntur:
Hic par diuitibus pauper egenus erit.
When the Prophet proclameth al fleſh to be graſſe,Ieſ. 40. and al people to be verily, and truelie hay: (but yet this muſt be taken not properly, but by a figure) when common experience teacheth, that an apple freſh and red doth periſh or fall downe with the woorm, with winde, or with a ſtaffe, and when the prouerb ſaith, that aſſoone goeth the Lambes ſkin to the market as the ſheepe: ſhal we thinke that the younger ſort and luſty folkes ſhal bee priuileged from death?3. Note, Great die. Shal the mighty men or nobles or valiant or Princes bee freed from this ſentence of death?3. Kindes of death. Dauid ſaieth, No: and ſheweth three kindes of death, either extraordinary before time, either ordinary & natural, either by an externe cauſe or accident, as in battle. I ſpeak of the death which is the ſeparatiō of the body & the ſoul: for the death of ſin, & the death myſtical, which is mortificatiō,De bono mortis. pertain not to this point, wherof you may read in Ambroſe. This triple kinde, or triple way to death heere ſet down by Dauid, is manifold, there are many pathes & ſteps to death,Proſper. L. Epigram. as one doth expreſſe it.
Ferro, peſte, fame, vinclis, algore, calore,
Mille modis miſeros mors rapit vna homines.
That is, we dy by ſword, peſtilence, famin, impriſonment, colde, heate, yea by a thouſand meanes, which God can and will deuiſe, as Dauid hath ſet down for al men, eſpecially as it is ment in our Text againſt Princes and Potentates of this world. And to begin with Saul, did hee not deſperatly kill himſelfe? as Dauid here talketh in battle, but yet by the hand of the Lord, and indeede extraordinarily by his owne hand? It is reaſon that mightie men ſhould mightily ſuffer tormentes, according as it is written, and alſo Saint Auſtine hath a notable place: Let the king know, Sapi…us. 6. De 12. abuſionum grad.that as he is ordained chiefe in his throne aboue all men: ſo in puniſhment if hee doe not iuſtice, he ſhal hauehave the chiefe-dom, and firſt place. And in another book,Idem in L. Q. Noui & Vet. Teſt cap. 16. Lib. 9. D… cad. 4. Ʋiri ſublimis culpa, grane eſt peccatum. Shall perhaps great captaines and warriours auoide this ſtroke? Liuie rehearſeth of moſt valiant captaines, Scipio, Annibal, Philopaemē, that al three in one year died, but nether died nor were buried in their own country. Suidas telleth of Thulis King of al AEgypt vntounto the Ocean ſea, that builded an Ilande of his owne name, that aſked the Oracle of Serapis: Tel me who before me could doe ſuch actes, An Oracle of the death of Thulis, & of the eternal dominion of God.and who ſhal doe after me? The Oracle was, foreign. That is, in effect, that firſt God the father, next the woord and his ſonne, and with them the holy ghoſt, the bleſſed Trinity in vnity did raigne before, & ſhould after euerlaſtingly: but for himſelf hee was willed ſpeedily to depart, and immediatly after the Oracle, was ſlaine, foreign, of his owne people. What are all theſe mighty men but the Gourd that was giuen to Ionas for a ſhadowe to ſport himſelfe for a time,Ionae. 4. but in the morning God ſendeth a woorme, and ſtriketh the Gourd, and it withereth away?The death of perſecutours. Are not al theſe perſecutors tēporal or eccleſiaſtical vnderunder the ſentence of this mortality? you hauehave hard before of ſome, and in Oroſius you may ſee the death and deſtruction both of traitors and of perſecutors,Lib. 7. namely of Magnēſius, Conſtantius, Decentius, Gallus, Syluanus, Iulian. We hauehave in Egeſyppus a marueilous Hiſtory of Ariſtobulus King of the Iewes, not only for his perſecution of the good, but alſo for the murder of his brother, in body and in conſcience fore afflicted, his blood guſhing out:Lib. 1. c. 8. which when his boy had poured out by chaunce vponupon the blood of his ſlaine brother, an horrible fearefulneſſe increaſed his paine, and tooke away his life. O that theſe worldely men perſecuting and ſeeking after blood would cōſider that which is written in Herodotus: Tomyris to K. Cyrus.Thou haſt thirſted after bloode, and now thou ſhalt drinke thy belly ful of blood. What brags are giuen out in eueryevery cornet againſt poor Proteſtants in England, in France, Flanders, and Geneua, as though al were on their ſide, as though they were Gods vponupon the earth? They hauehave their fore-fathers whome they imitate very braue and glorious in threats,Bragges againſt the godly. but miſcarieng in the ende. Pharaoh and his ſouldiours ſay: I wil purſue, I wil ouertake them, I will diuide the ſpoile, my luſt ſhal be ſatisfied. But the Lord blew with his wind,Exod. 15. the fea couered thē, they ſanck as lead in the mighty waters. In the booke of Iudges there is the like triumph of the Heathen againſt Iſrael, where the Ladies flatter the mother of Siſera, that hee had gotten the victory, and had a great ſpoil,Iudic. 5. when Siſera was by a woman Iael knocked in the head. Ben-hadad threatned the King of Iſrael, but Ahab aunſwereth: Let not him that girdeth his harneiſe, boſt himſelf, as he that putteth it off. 1. Reg 20.It is an eaſie matter for God to cruſh theſe Kings conſpiring againſt his annointed, and againſt his church,Pſal. 2. with a rod of Iron, and breake them in peeces like a potters veſſel:Pſal. 3. To ſmite al his enemies vponupon the cheek bone, and to ſtrike out the teeth of the wicked: to pull downe the great heart of Pharaoh by al kind of ſcourges,Exod. c. 9. with botches and ſores, with murreine of beaſts, with hail, thunder, and lightening, with the death of the firſt borne of AEgypt, with graſſe-hoppers,Exod. 12. with frogges, flies, lice, to ſtrike perſecuting Herod with vermine.Cap. 10. Cap. 8. Act. 12. We hauehave heard a long time againſt our Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth, and againſt our country the ſmoke of threats: but God bee praiſed, no flame that could annoy vsus. Wee hauehave had among vsus the brags of the Pompcian ſouldidurs, that hauehave made a reckoning of the ſpoile of vsus at, & diuiſion of our liuings among thēſelues, but they were but only brags: for why? the lot is caſt into the lap, Prouer. 16but the whole diſpoſition thereof is of the Lord. Therfore let al men take heed how they vvaſt of a day, whether it bee in the ſommer or winter, whether it be in the yeare eighty ſeuen or eighty eight, whether they be forreiners abroad, or cuntrymen at home: Let thē harkē to wiſe Salomō: Prouer. 27Boaſt not thy ſelf of to morrow, for thou knoweſt not what a daie may bring forth. Al the wicked perſecutours, traitours, rebels knowe not when they beginne, what ſhal bee their end. Looke in the booke of the Kinges, home many died loſing Kingdome and life in the ſpace of three and thirty yeares?2. Reg. 15. Looke in the Hiſtories, howe ſodenly the Emperours went, Otho, Galba, Vitellius. To be ſhort, I ſay to them,Plutarchus deſera numinis vindicta. as Bias ſaid once to an vngracious fellow: That hee was affraid, not that he ſhould not be puniſhed, but that he himſelfe ſhould not ſee it.
But yet perhaps Eloquent men may ſcape this death? Nay Cicero, Val. Ma…. The death of Oratoraas it is declared before, was traiterouſly murdered leeſing his toung and his head. Demoſthenes drank poiſon and died.
But I trow the Popes holineſſe cannot be touched with any dart of death,The death of Popes for hee that is able to deliuer out of Purgatory and hel, may alſo ſaue himſelfe from death. No: he hath no freedom, no immunity aboue other men, being one of Adams brood: for ſo euen his own Ceremonial booke giueth him warning hereof.Sacr. Cer. lib. 1. cap … The Biſhop of Rome, although hee paſſe al mortall men in dignity and authority, and can bind, and loſe al things in earth: yet can he not looſe himſelf out of the bonds of fatal neceſſity. The ſcholer is not aboue his Maſter, and therefore he willeth him to think, that although he be the greateſt man, yet hee is a mortal man, and biddeth him remember the forme of his conſecration, which is after this ſort: When the newe Pope is choſen, and Te Deum ſong, and he newly, Cap. de Conſecrat.and Pontifically reueſtred, and his hands and feete kiſſed, euen then in all this ſolemnity and glory a Clerk or Maſter of the Ceremonies ſetteth tow on fier (after the Pope is come out of the Chappell of Gregory) and kneeling downe ſingeth with a loud voice: C. Deegr…. & exeq. Pap…Pater ſancte, ſic tranſit gloria mundi: Omnis carofaenum, & omnis gloria eius tanquam flos agri. O holy father, as this hemp or tow burneth, ſo paſſeth away the glory of the world: al fleſh is hay, and the glory thereof is as it were the flower of the field. This Ceremony notwithſtā ding, the Pope forgetting all this leſſon, rideth through the Citty with a great troupe of Mitred Biſhops & Abbots, his horſe trapped & trimmed with red ſcarlet, the Emperor himſelfe holding the horſe bridel: and when all the lewes met him in the market place, and reached vntounto him, as the manner is, their Ceremonies and their law, he flingeth them behind his backe, ſaying proudly: Recedant vetera, noua ſunt omnia: Away with theſe oulde things, al are now new: As Thomas Walſingham declareth at large in the Coronation of Pope Martine. Jn Henr. 5.I hauehave told of Boniface the eight, of whoſe end Celeſtine his predeceſſor gaue this prophecy:Tho. Walſing. in Hypodig. Neuſtriae. Aſcendiſti vt vulpes, regnabis vt Leo, morieris vt Canis: Thou didſt clime vp like a Fox, thou ſhalt raigne like a lion, & thou ſhalt dy like a dog. As he, ſo others, like flax ſet on fier hauehave paſſed away, moſt of them ſodenly and ſhamefully, ſpecially ſuch as hauehave been cruel in excommunicating and perſecuting Emperours.Carion. lib. …. & Abb. Vrſo. You heard of Lucius and others before. And as wee read of Fabius the ſenatour, choked with an hair in his milk: ſo Adrian died with a fly, when he had excommunicated Friderik the firſt. Vrban the third was ſtriken nutu Dei, Abbas V…. in an. 118…attempting the ſame againſt the Emperour. A Pope of one yeare, & little more. And hauehave not of late Pius Quintus and Gregory the thirteenth prooued to be quenched tow, notwithſtanding all their glory, and their Buls againſt our Soueraign Prince Elizabeth? Were they not indeede Bullae? Bubbles of water: The great whore of Babylō, whoſe cup is ful of abhominations & fornications, who hath her ſelfe been dronke with the blood of Saints,Apocalyp. 17.18. and with the blood of Martyrs of Ieſus, ſhall drinke of the ſame cup double, & then ſhall it come to paſſe which happened vntounto Cerylus, which of a ſeruaunt was waxen rich, and ſo inſolent, that he changed his name into Laches, to whom Veſpaſian gaue this leſſon of humility in greeke words in this ſenſe, O Laches, Laches, Sutton. I… Veſpaſian…when thou art dead, thou ſhalt bee called againe Cerylus, as before. So I ſay of Pope Iohn, The Pope is Cerylu…that ſo ſhamefully died in trauel going on preceſſion, ſhal in the end againe be harlot Ioan: Sergius ſhal be Os Porci, hogs-mouth. Iulius the ſecond ſhal be Iulian agiane. Leo the tenth ſhal be Iohn againe. Iulius the third ſhall bee Iohn Marie. Paul the fourth ſhal be Iohn Peter Gregory the thirteenth ſhall bee Bone-Companion, Sixtus Quintus a poore mans ſonne borne in a little village, though an high name, Alto-monte, though now lifted vp to the Popedome,Act. c. 9. & like Saul breathing out threates and ſlaughters againſt the Church, ſhal be as he was a Franciſcane, and Faelix Perenettus againe. They al ſhal be of Lordes ſeruants, of Popes poore Prieſts, nay of men, earth, and wormes meat. They ſhal be ſucceſſors of this Saul, as in perſecuting Dauid, and in murdering Abimelech, and the Prieſtes of the lord, I meane the Princes, and the Preachers whom the Lorde hath annointed and called: Euen ſo of his death either ſmiten of God, or when their day commeth to dy, or when they ſhal deſcēd into bloody battles, as many Martial Popes hauehave done.
Although the enemies glorye againſt the Godly,The good delight not in the ouerthrow of the euil, but in their conuerſion. yet the Godly hauehave no delight in the death of theſe before rehearſed, perſecutours, Emperors, Popes. We are ſory that they had no more grace. As alwaies mercifull Princes hauehave vſed moderation and compaſſion: ſo the Sexe, the good nature, the piety of our Prince hath alwaies deſired rather the good behauior and conuerſion of the offenders, then the ſubuerſion of deſtruction of any one. Dauid neuer ſought nor deſired the death of Saul, but contrariwiſe lamented for it, and puniſhed the Amalekite that brought him the newes. We are not more vnnatural then men onelyonly endewed with natural affection.
Iulius Caeſar a natural & an heathen man, when Pompey fled into AEgypt, and was beheaded at the commaundement of Prolomei for his ſake:Chriſti… Maſſeus lib. 7. Ch… yet whē his head was brought to him, he wept. Veſpaſian the Emperor ſeemed to be a tender-harted Prince, in whoſe time no man was lightly puniſhed without cauſe, except he himſelfe were abſent, or ignorant of it, or in deed vnwilling or deceiued. A notable report Suetonius maketh of him, that he neuer at any time reioyced in the ſlaughter of any mā, but iuſtis ſupplicy sillacrymauit & ingemuit, Sueton. in vita eins.he wept & ſighed when any mā ſuffred, though for a iuſt cauſe. Theodoſius was a moſt gracious Prince, of whō it is ſaid,Socrat. lib. 7. cap. 22. Sozom. lib. 7. cap. 24. that he neuer puniſhed any mā of whom he was hurt. He made a law by the aduiſe of Ambroſe, that the officers, which ſhould execute his commiſſions or commandementes, ſhould differre the puniſhmentes of thoſe that were condemned to dy for the ſpace of thirty daies, to the intent that in the meane time the Kings wrath might be aſſwaged. When the people of Antioch had raiſed a ſedition, and yet afterward repented, he hearing at his table a Ballad or ſong in a mourneful Melody, was ſo mooued, that his anger ſtraightway ceaſed, he was reconciled to the citty,Cap. 23. & with tears trickling downe hee filled a cup that he held in his hand. Alexander the great lamented when he ſaw the body of Darius. Antoninus deſired that no Senatour or counſailour in the time of his Empire ſhould be ſlaine, that his Empire might not be ſtained. Hee was not much offended with the defection or reuoulting of Caſſius, neither did hee exerciſe tyranny againſt his children, but although the Councel did puniſh him, as before it was touched, yet the author ſaith,Iulius Capitolin. Vulcatius Gallicanus. that it was moſt certaine that he would hauehave ſpared him, if it had been in his hand: and when the head of Caſſius was brought to him, he did not reioice at it, but it grieued him that the occaſion of mercy was taken from him. What ſhould I ſpeak of our Chriſtian Princes and rulers: Conſtantine, as it is written by Euſebius, was very carefull for the commonweal,Lib. 2. Nec magis pro ſalute ſuorū, quàm hoſtiū orabat. Hee did not pray more for the ſafegard of his owne, then of others his enemies. It is reported of William Conquerour, that euen in his death bed hee repented him of many things,Polydor. Virgil. in Hiſto. Ang. lib. 3. but ſpecially he was ſory that hee had beene ſome-what ſeuere againſt the Engliſhmen. When certain had conſpired with the French-men againſt Henry the fift, and were by the iudgement of their peeres condemned: as ſome were executed, ſo ſome were pardoned, for the King pitied their caſe,The W…. ſing. in Hypon. N… ſo that Engliſh-men turned that praiſe which was ſpoken to Auguſtus Caeſar by Ouid, vntounto him,
Sit piger adpaenas Princeps, adpraemia velox,
Qui que doler quoties cogiture eſſe ferox.
The ſame verſes may be more iuſtly applied vntounto our Auguſta, who to puniſh hath been moſt ſlow: to pleaſure, & to do good moſt ready, and when ſhe muſt needs be ſeuere, it grieueth her. I neede not exemplifie it, they are freſh in memory. How vnwilling was ſhee to conſent to the beheading of the Duke of Northfolke? The de na ne…e of Q. … beth in pardoning or puniſhing.How often did ſhe ſtay the execution? How gratiouſly did ſhe then wineke at the Queene of Scots, who was as guilty euen then as he was? How many hauehave beene in her time pardoned? How many yet remain vnpuniſhed, though not vncondemned, and I doubt not, but that ſhe thinketh as Theodoſius ſaid: Vtinam mortuos ad vitam reducere poſſem: Socrat. t…. 7. cap. 22.I would to God I might call to life againe ſome of thoſe that are dead. I hauehave alſo to make a wiſh, that thoſe that are faulty & liuing, woulde remember one Story, that I would tel thē. Licinius a rebel fought againſt Conſtantine, but was ouercome, and had a pardon with this charge,…crat. lib. … 3. that he ſhould keepe his houſe at Theſſalonica, & liue quietly: but when hee had gathered a newe hand of vplandiſh and barbarous men, then hee commaunded him to be ſlaine. Well: The effect of my ſpeach is, God wil not hauehave the death of a ſinner, neither doe godly men deſier theſe euill men to be rid out of the way, but to turne into a better way, and to reforme themſelues, and yet the Proteſtation of Dauid is true vppon their impenitency and frowardnes, God will eaſe the world of theſe burdens of the earth.
I am now to make vp my general, that all muſt dy,The death of Princes. not only the bad, but euen the good ſhal depart frō vsus. The bad for our comfort, & for the conſolatiō of the church: The good for our plague: for not only wicked Saul, but euen good Dauid is gone. O that we may not ſay in our daies, Our Dauid is gone: but ſhe muſt goe, and perhappes the ſooner for our wickednes. Let vsus pray therefore for her long and proſperous raigne among vsus: wee hauehave great cauſe ſo to pray: The righteous periſheth, and no man conſidereth it in his heart, Eſaie. 57.the merciful men are taken away, and no man vnderſtandeth it, as the Prophet ſaith. Mark I beſeech you, mark you that louelove chaunges, how perilous they are: What good commeth by the good Princes: what loſſe commeth by their departure. Auguſtine writeth:De Ciui…. Dei lib. 4. cap. 3. Vtile eſt vt bons longe late que diu regnent, ne que hoc tam ipſis quàm illis, vtile eſt, quibus regnant. It is profitable that good men raigne far and wide and a long time: neither is this ſo profitable vntounto themſelues, as to thoſe ouer whō they raigne. The mutation of Princes, and alteration of States how dangerous it is, may appear by former times. After good Samuel, and in the time of the baniſhment of Dauid, the Philiſtines warred againſt the Iſraelites, in the which battle Saul was ſlaine, and the people of God conquered, but by Dauid that ſucceeded, the common weale and the church floriſhed. After the death of Ioſias was the battel of the Babylonians, wherby the Kingdom of Iuda was brought to ſlauery,2. Paralip. 32.36. and afterward ſubuerted. After this Ioſias and Ezechias followed euil rulers, as it is in the book of Chronicles. Alexander the great is called of Daniel a mighty King: but his King dome was diuided towards the 4 winds of heauē, & not to his poſterity,Cap. 11. nor according to his dominiō. Where wiſe mē ruled, as Solon, Lycurgus & others: who now rule there but Turkes & Infidels? After the death of William Conquerour came famine, peſtilence, thundring, & lightening & flaſhes in heauen, fires in England, as a certaine Prognoſtication of miſeries and ruful calamities in Rufus time.Polydor Virg. lib. 9 The death of Heroicall and great perſonages is ominous and vnluckie.
Therefore, that I may drawe to an end, and to the concluſion of Dauids argument,The Concluſion of Dauids reaſon in his proteſtation. ſeeing God hath ſet downe a periode & courſe for eueryevery man, and a terme and time of death, ſeeing all, young and old, rich and poore, noble, vnnoble, yea Princes, Monarches and Popes muſt die, by ſome of theſe meanes and kindes of death, which Dauid ſetteth down: let vsus obey the reaſon, and reſerue to God his iudgement. Let vsus not preuent his houre, no not againſt the wicked gouernours: and ſith God hath ſent vsus a Dauid, let vsus not by our vnthankfulnes forgoe her Maieſtie, or by our treacherous behauiour cut off her daies. God hath numbred them, and they cannot be ſhortened, no nor prolonged, but that number will come once to an end, though when, we cannot tell. Auguſtine maketh me affraide in theſe words:De Ciuit. Dei lib. 5. cap. 25. Iouinianum multo citius quàm Iulianum abſtulit, Gratianum Ferro Tyrannico permiſit interimi, longè quidem mitius, quàm magnum Pompeium, colentem videlicet Romanos Deos. God tooke away Iouinian much ſooner then Iulian, he ſuffered Gratian to bee killed with the ſword of a tyrant, a great deale more gently, then great Pompeie, a man forſooth that worſhipped the Gods of Rome. If the certainty be ſuch of death, and the vncertainetie of the time ſo great, let vsus once againe pray to our heauenly father for the proſperity of her State, for the peace of her raigne, for the continuance of her daies, and for vsus al: which God grant through the merit of Jeſus chriſt, to whom with the father &c.